The place is huge and it has many exhibits, but this time we only visited two of them: “Mathissimo”, since Esther studies Math and “The secrets of bridges”, aimed at showing how a bridge is built and at presenting the future bridge Bacalan-Bastide, which will unite those two neighbourhoods.La primera parte de la exposición son una serie de mesas con pantallas táctiles, donde a través de juegos interactivos se intenta enseñar a los niños que las matemáticas están más presentes en nuestras vidas de lo que pensamos. Me obligaron a calcular en la mente, los desgraciados esos.

After leaving the section of interactive tortures lessons, we headed to a workshop where we learned to count according to different civilizations. We were divided into teams and we were given some ships to put on interactive tables. Each team was assigned a civilization and had to explain to the others their counting methods. Esther and I had to count like the Mayas, the most complicated system they had there. So complicated I already forgot it. Luckily, I took a picture of the poster, in case I ever need to be reminded of it.En la siguiente parte, repartidas en varias estaciones habían enigmas matemáticos que tuvimos que descifrar gracias a objetos que debíamos manipular.

In the following section there were many stations across the room, with different mathematical enigmas we had to decipher thanks to objects we had to manipulate.Una de las estaciones explicaba el tema de la monografía de Esther. A partir de figuras geométricas en alambre que sumergimos en jabón, podíamos ver el centro de gravedad de la figura. El trabajo de Esther es justamente sobre encontrar ese punto, pero para una serie de números y a partir de cálculos y no de figuras en alambre. Espero no haberme equivocado en esta explicación tan exhaustiva. :P

One of the stations explained Esther’s thesis subject. With geometrical forms made out of wire we submerged in water we could see the figure’s gravity center. Esther’s work is about finding, but with a series of numbers and with calculations instead of wire figures. I hope I didn’t mess up this exhaustive explanation.Una de las guías del centro, quienes fueron todas muy simpáticas, nos invitó a aprender a usar el ábaco chino. Fue tan divertido que ahora quiero uno. Me encantó: aprendimos a sumar y a multiplicar. Podía escuchar los engranajes oxidados de mi cerebro trabajar a máxima potencia, pero al final entendí cómo funciona.

One of the guides, who were all very nice, invited us to learn to use the Chinese abacus. It was so fun I now want one. I loved it: we learned to add numbers and to multiply them. I could hear the rusty gears in my brain work to maximum power, but in the end I understood how it worked.La exposición de los puentes y fue tan interesante y divertida como la primera, pero aún mejor, porque los arquitectos tenemos mucho que aprender de ella.

The bridge exhibit was as fun and as interesting as the first one, but even better because as architects we have much to learn from it.Me gustó mucho que la exposición se enfocaba en los puentes locales, con un pequeño apartado que explicaba la historia de cada uno de ellos.

My favorite one is the “stone bridge”, the first bridge ever built over the Garonne river. Napoleon ordered its construction when during the war with Spain he had serious delays to send his soldiers because when they came to Bordeaux there was no bridge. The original project was from an engineer named Didier, but the stone and brick proposal built in the end was Claude Deschamps’, that you blog readers are familiar about through the Lainé warehouse.Otro puente importante es la pasarela Eiffel, en cuya construcción participó un joven Gustave, antes de hacer su famosa torre. Fue el primer puente ferroviario que permitió que Bordeaux recibiera trenes de París. Hasta ese entonces sólo era posible venir de la capital, hasta la estacion de Orléans, en La Bastide, que en esa época no era parte de Bordeaux, sino de la comuna vecina, Cenon.

Another important building was the Eiffel runway. A young Gustave participated in its construction, before building his famous tower. It was the first railroad bridge that allowed Bordeaux to receive trains from Paris. Up until then it was only possible to come from the capital to the Orléans station, at La Bastide, which wasn’t part of Bordeaux at the time, but of its neighbouring commune, Cenon. Y si no están particularmente interesados en la historia de los puentes, tal vez prefieran construirlos, gracias a las maquetas que mostraban los diferentes tipos de puentes. Creo que finalmente entendí cómo se sostienen.

In the second floor there is an observation station to the construction of the future bridge, with more interactive games, a webcam that shows in real time the construction 24/7 and you can see the bridge by yourself in the terrace.No podía olvidar que hay una cámara para tomarse fotos en la exposición, como si estuviéramos en la construcción. En fin, nunca pensé que la ciencia podía ser tan divertida.

I have to mention that in the exhibit there is a camera to take pictures of yourself as if you were in the construction. Anyway, I never thought science could be so much fun.

May 17th is the museum’s international day and to celebrate it, last night in Europe the museums remained open until midnight and organized special events. Bordeaux was no exception and held a great masked party: each museum offered a mask inspired by one of its works. And since there was too much people and therefore it was impossible to see the pieces calmly, with my friends we decided to go to all of the museums to get the masks. We were unlucky though, after a certain hour each museum was out of masks, but the odyssey allowed us to see these places under a different light.

We started in the “Musée d’Aquitaine”, the region’s most important anthropology and ethnology museum. We visited two of its temporary exhibits, one of the Spanish illustrator Iturria and another one of the artist half-French and half-Togolese William Adjété Wilson.Luego de una muy breve visita al Museo de artes decorativos, nos dirigimos al Museo de Bellas artes, donde había una enorme fila para entrar.

After a very brief visit to the Decorative arts museum, we headed to the Fine arts museum, where there was a huge line to get in.La obra que inspiraba la máscara estaba en el acceso y la tentación era demasiada para no tomarse una foto con ella.

The work that inspired this mask was located in the entrance and the temptation was too strong to not take a photo with it.Mi consentido, el CAPC, no tenía terminada su nueva exposición pero ganó puntos en ambientación porque invitó a una banda de percusión que tocaba una música súper terrorífica. El edificio estaba a oscuras, lleno de humo y con esos tambores diabólicos, estaba genial.

My favourite one, the CAPC, hadn’t finished putting up its new exhibit but it earned points in ambiance because it had a percussion band playing super scary music. The building was poorly lighted, filled with smoke and with those evil drums, it was great.Como ya era muy tarde para ir al Jardín botánico a La Bastide, fuimos al CAP Sciences, mi más reciente descubrimiento, un centro de exposiciones de ciencia. Terminamos a media noche, cansadas, con menos máscaras de las que queríamos, pero súper contentas de nuestra experiencia.

Since it was too late to go to the Botanical garden in La Bastide, we went to CAP Sciences, my most recent discovery, a scientific exhibit centres. We finished at midnight, super tired, with less masks that we hoped for but super happy with our experience.